Bakke Bros. Natural Style Jalapeno Beef Jerky is made by Bakke Bros. of Salem, Oregon. They are a family owned business incorporated in 1999. They make an impressive variety of beef and exotic jerkies.
This is a natural or hung style wood smoked beef jerky; made by slicing extra lean USDA approved top round steak into strips and hanging over a smoking wood fire.
Immediately upon opening the bag I noted a very appetizing jalapeno aroma. It has bit of surface moisture from the marinade and lots of pepper seeds on the surface. Thickness varies from piece to piece between thin and medium. It's very easy to bite or tear off a bite-sized piece. It cracks just a bit when bending but doesn't break. It leaves just a little bit of tacky residue on the fingers so you won't want to eat this one anywhere you have no way of wiping off your fingers.
The initial flavor is pleasingly sweet from the brown sugar followed closely by the distinctive jalapeno flavor. There's no mistaking this one for any other kind of pepper. The wood smoke is mild but pleasantly noticeable. The spiciness then begins to become apparent and builds slowly. This is a delicious jerky. It's a bit spicier than Jeff's Famous and Divine Bovine's jalapenos but still very tolerable for those who don't go for the really hot stuff. It's very tender and easy to chew. I found no sinew or unchewable parts and just an occasional tiny amount of fat; not enough to bother any but the ridiculously squeamish.
The bag is non-resealable and they advise refrigeration after opening however I doubt this will be a problem as you'll likely eat the entire bag in one sitting.
My one and only complaint with this jerky is the inclusion of MSG which I think is entirely unnecessary. Their strip style jerkies don't contain it and are just as tasty without it. Hopefully they'll change this in the near future at which point, I think I'll be able to give it 5 stars.
Overall rating is 4 out of 5 stars. Click here to purchase.
Showing posts with label 4 stars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 4 stars. Show all posts
Cattaneo Bros. Honey Pineapple Turkey Jerky
This is a product of Cattaneo Bros., San Luis Obispo, CA; a company that has been in operation for 63 years as of this writing.
Cattaneo describes this jerky as 100% turkey breast (i.e., all white meat), sliced thin and marinated with Hawaiian pineapple juice and sweet tasting honey, then oven smoked; no preservatives. It is available in 1, 3, and 7 Oz. sizes. The 1 and 3 Oz. packages are non-resealable. We don't currently stock the 7 Oz. size and their web site doesn't state whether it comes in a resealable bag. I presume it does since all of their 7 Oz. beef jerkies are in resealable bags.
Upon opening the bag, I get the aroma of soy and pineapple. The jerky is dark and dry to the touch. It tears and chews easily. The consistency is better than most of the turkey jerkies I have had. In fact, it is closer to the texture of beef than it is to most turkeys (which is a definite plus in my book). The taste is that of quality smoked turkey; slightly salty, with a strong flavor of soy, pineapple, just a hint of honey, and a familiar spice I have yet to pin down. It is not at all what I was expecting, however I have very often found that turned out to be a good thing. I was expecting a very strong flavor of honey, pineapple, and turkey; probably overly sweet. Not only is it not overly sweet, but I would not categorize it as sweet at all. It's a really good combination of flavors with excellent texture.
If you judge this jerky on its attributes rather than its name, then it definitely comes out a winner. The only reason I'm giving it 4 stars rather than 5 is that the name does not adequately describe the jerky.
My overall satisfaction with this jerky is high. I finished the bag wanting more and that's probably the best indicator of all.
Click here to purchase.
Cattaneo describes this jerky as 100% turkey breast (i.e., all white meat), sliced thin and marinated with Hawaiian pineapple juice and sweet tasting honey, then oven smoked; no preservatives. It is available in 1, 3, and 7 Oz. sizes. The 1 and 3 Oz. packages are non-resealable. We don't currently stock the 7 Oz. size and their web site doesn't state whether it comes in a resealable bag. I presume it does since all of their 7 Oz. beef jerkies are in resealable bags.
Upon opening the bag, I get the aroma of soy and pineapple. The jerky is dark and dry to the touch. It tears and chews easily. The consistency is better than most of the turkey jerkies I have had. In fact, it is closer to the texture of beef than it is to most turkeys (which is a definite plus in my book). The taste is that of quality smoked turkey; slightly salty, with a strong flavor of soy, pineapple, just a hint of honey, and a familiar spice I have yet to pin down. It is not at all what I was expecting, however I have very often found that turned out to be a good thing. I was expecting a very strong flavor of honey, pineapple, and turkey; probably overly sweet. Not only is it not overly sweet, but I would not categorize it as sweet at all. It's a really good combination of flavors with excellent texture.
If you judge this jerky on its attributes rather than its name, then it definitely comes out a winner. The only reason I'm giving it 4 stars rather than 5 is that the name does not adequately describe the jerky.
My overall satisfaction with this jerky is high. I finished the bag wanting more and that's probably the best indicator of all.
Click here to purchase.
Dr. Pepper Beef Jerky from Butler's Smokehouse
Dr. Pepper beef jerky is made by Butler's Smokehouse of Stephenville, TX under license from Dr. Pepper. It is marinated in the original Dublin Dr. Pepper syrup (the cane sweetened recipe).
The texture of this jerky is fairly dry and very firm but not brittle. It does have a bit of surface moisture from the marinade but it doesn't leave residue on my fingers. In order to get a bite sized piece I have to either twist it off or rip it with my teeth. If you're looking for soft and tender then this is probably not the jerky for you. If however, you're in the mood for a longer chew that works your jaws a bit and keeps its flavor while you chew then read on.
The flavor is mildly sweet, and somewhat black peppery with a little salt and garlic flavor thrown in for good measure. Had I not known this was marinated in Dr. Pepper, I don't know if the flavor of the jerky would have tipped me off. The Dr. Pepper flavor is very subtle. I only pick it up occasionally and not with every piece. Since I'm not a huge Dr. Pepper fan this doesn't bother me in the least. Were I expecting a "straight from the bottle/can" flavor I may have been a bit disappointed. However, the flavor of the meat and spices make this a very good jerky on its own merits no matter the name. It's by no means a boring, run-of-the-mill jerky. The novelty alone is worth the price of admission!
My overall satisfaction with this jerky is high and I do find myself snacking on it regularly.
Final Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Click here to purchase.
The texture of this jerky is fairly dry and very firm but not brittle. It does have a bit of surface moisture from the marinade but it doesn't leave residue on my fingers. In order to get a bite sized piece I have to either twist it off or rip it with my teeth. If you're looking for soft and tender then this is probably not the jerky for you. If however, you're in the mood for a longer chew that works your jaws a bit and keeps its flavor while you chew then read on.
The flavor is mildly sweet, and somewhat black peppery with a little salt and garlic flavor thrown in for good measure. Had I not known this was marinated in Dr. Pepper, I don't know if the flavor of the jerky would have tipped me off. The Dr. Pepper flavor is very subtle. I only pick it up occasionally and not with every piece. Since I'm not a huge Dr. Pepper fan this doesn't bother me in the least. Were I expecting a "straight from the bottle/can" flavor I may have been a bit disappointed. However, the flavor of the meat and spices make this a very good jerky on its own merits no matter the name. It's by no means a boring, run-of-the-mill jerky. The novelty alone is worth the price of admission!
My overall satisfaction with this jerky is high and I do find myself snacking on it regularly.
Final Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Click here to purchase.
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